Managing stress at work is similar to managing stress in college. In fact, if you practice these strategies now, they’ll be easier to perform in a work environment.
Consider a situation that’s causing you stress. Then examine the chart below, which presents four ways to deal with a stressful situation. Two ways involve changing the situation, and two ways involve changing your reaction to the situation.
Read through each box and select “yes,” “no,” or “unsure” as you determine if this is a strategy you can use to deal with your stressful situation.
| Change the situation | Change your reaction to the situation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy 1: Avoid the stress | Strategy 2: Alter the stressor | Strategy 3: Adapt to the stressor | Strategy 4: Accept the stressor |
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Can you say "no"?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you ask for help?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you think more positively about the situation (find a silver lining)?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you give yourself an incentive to complete the task?
Yes No Unsure
|
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Can you alter your behavior to avoid the stress?
Yes No Unsure
|
Can you schedule your time differently to reduce the stress?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you adjust your standards and not seek perfection?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you accept that some things are beyond your control?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you pare down your to-do-list?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you delegate some tasks to others?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you recognize and reduce self-defeating thoughts you're having ("should," "must")?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you see how you would do things differently next time?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you avoid or limit your time with the person causing the stress?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you communicate your feelings and concerns to the person causing the stress?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you understand the perspective of the person causing the stress?
Yes No Unsure
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Can you let go of anger and resentment toward the person causing the stress, and move on?
Yes No Unsure
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After completing the chart, select what you think is the most useful strategy in this situation. Then implement it, and answer the following questions: Which strategy did you select? What challenges, if any, did you encounter as you implemented this strategy? How did you manage those challenges? What results did you get by implementing this strategy? On a job interview, if you were asked to describe how you handle stressful situations, what would you say?